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Scientists develop aerial robot that can morph mid-flight

Neighbourhood Technology Desk: Scientists have drawn inspiration from birds to design an aerial robot capable of altering its profile during flight. In order to reduce its wingspan and navigate through tight spaces, the robot can reorient its arms, which are equipped with propellers that let it fly like a helicopter.

The technology, described in the journal Soft Robotics, paves the way for a new generation of large robots that can move through narrow passages, making them ideal for exploration as well as search and rescue missions.Dubbed Quad-Morphing, the new robot has two rotating arms each equipped with two propellers for helicopter-like flight. adopts the parallel position, halving its wingspan, to traverse a narrow stretch and then switches back to perpendicular position to stabilize its flight, all while flying at a speed of 9 kilometres per hour, which is pretty fast for an aerial robot.